The study is designed to elucidate factors contributing to the maintenance of pathological drinking patterns in alcoholic families. A model is proposed in which it is hypothesized that alcohol ingestion stabilizes family interactional behavior by helping the family to deal with three different types of problems: individual psychopathology in one of its members; an intrafamilial conflict between two or more family members; or a conflict between the family and its immediate social environment. Alcohol induces a predictable interactional pattern which contributes to a resolution of the family problem; this process in turn reinforces the maintenance of the drinking behavior. The research strategy involves establishing a rich clinical environment for examining social and behavioral dimensions affected by alcoholism. The central feature is a series of multiple-family discussion groups meeting in subject families' homes. Data gathering will include videotaping and behavioral observation of pre- and post-meeting family interaction; speech analysis, seating arrangement, sociometry and blood-alcohol determinations during group meetings; and laboratory testing procedures. Data analysis will include multivariant correlational analyses, techniques for probabalistic analysis of behavior, and clinical inference. Emphasis will be placed on comparison of sober and intoxicated interactional behavior, comparisons of behavior in different social environments, and comparison of field behavior to performance behavior on standardized laboratory instruments.